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Skimm for November 3rd

Skimm’d after catching up on “Homeland”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I suck right now” – Kobe Bryant on himself. He also says he’s the 200th best player in the NBA. Basically, he’s in a glass case of emotion.

THINGS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

KEYSTONE XL

THE STORY

Yesterday, a major Canadian oil company said it wants to hit ‘pause’ on the Keystone XL Pipeline.

REMIND ME.

Keystone XL Pipeline: not a beer. It’s a major oil pipeline project that would carry a LOT of crude oil from Canada to Texas. It’s also a major political headache. The GOP and oil companies say it would create US jobs and reduce North American reliance on Mideast oil. Democrats and environmental groups say ‘ever heard of oil spills? Or global warming?’ It’s up to President Obama to give the final OK on the project, but he’s been taking his sweet time (think: his entire presidency) deciding whether or not to give the green light.

SO WHAT’S THE LATEST?

Yesterday, TransCanada – the company behind the project – asked the US gov. to stop reviewing its request to build the pipeline. Meaning, the Keystone XL Pipeline is probably off the table. For now.

theSKIMM

All of the Dems running in 2016 are against this project. All of the GOP candidates are for it. Many think this is TransCanada’s way of crossing its fingers that a Republican takes the White House in 2016.

RUSSIAN PLANE

THE STORY

The investigation into this weekend’s Russian plane crash is confusing.

WHAT DO WE KNOW?

That on Saturday, a plane going from an Egyptian resort town to St. Petersburg crashed in the Egyptian desert shortly after takeoff. That all 224 people on board were killed. That friends of ISIS claimed responsibility for the crash, but that the Russian, Egyptian, and American governments doubt that’s true. And that Egyptian investigators also think a technical problem could have caused the crash.

WHAT’S THE LATEST?

Yesterday, Russian airline execs said they’re ruling out human error, and that the “only explicable cause” of the crash was “a physical impact.” But then, Russian gov. officials said those claims were “not based on real facts.” See the problem? Meanwhile, Egyptian investigators are looking into an accident involving the plane’s tail in the early 2000s that could have led to bad repairs.

theSKIMM

This is one of the worst air disasters in Russian history. And there are a lot of mixed messages coming from the people who are supposed to help figure out what happened.

REPEAT AFTER ME...

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU CHECK YOUR BANK ACCOUNT AFTER A VACATION…

Worse than I expected. Earlier this year, VW admitted to installing software in 11 million of its cars worldwide that allowed it to cheat on emissions tests. VW said ‘our bad,’ and hoped the damage was done. It wasn’t. Yesterday , the EPA said that same software was found in 10,000 more cars. And those cars happen to be luxury brands (think: Porsche and Audi) that bring in big money for VW. The automaker says ‘not true’ to the new allegations. But it doesn’t look good for VW’s new CEO – who was hired to clean up the scandal – and used to be in charge at Porsche. Now he’s practicing composting and considering solar panels.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOUR FRIEND POSTS AN EMBARRASSING TBT OF YOU…

I feel betrayed. Yesterday, the Vatican said it had arrested two people for allegedly talking behind its back. A priest and a public relations employee (not a joke setup) are both suspected of leaking confidential financial docs to journalists. Both of them were part of a commission that focused on fixing the Vatican’s money problems. But they apparently didn’t follow the rule of ‘what happens at the Vatican stays at the Vatican.’ This move comes just days before two books about the Vatican’s finances – which is said to be a hot mess – are set to be released. Safe to say those books won’t make it to Pope Francis’s Kindle.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU HEAR IT’S ELECTION DAY…

Happy 2016 pregame. No, you’re not voting for a president today, but there’s still a lot going on at the polls. Things to watch? Airbnb, and a San Francisco ballot measure that could mean more rules about what you do with your spare bedroom. Pot, and the vote that could legalize it in Ohio. And also make Nick Lachey relevant again. Ohio’s also voting on whether or not to say ‘no more’ to politicians who draw voting maps for their own gain. Today’s votes are mostly local, but a lot of them have to do with national issues and could have ripple effects across the country.

WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU HEAR CBS IS BRINGING BACK “STAR TREK”…

Live long and stream.

THING TO KNOW

Lawrence Lessig: No longer a Democratic candidate for president. He’s a Harvard professor who says he’s dropping out because Dem party rules kept him from being a real contender.

SKIMM GIFT

It’s time to replace that couch you bought in college. And put something on that blank wall. We’re here to help and we have artistic friends…Enter here.

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